Konquering Kanto
by Dwarf Midget
Summary: *Sequel to The Pokemon Tournament, read that first* With Skylark winning and becoming the champion of the Kanto Beginner's World Tournament, he and his friends have set out to help him become a champion once again. This time, however, he aims to conquer the Elite Four in Kanto! But, as he advances, what kind of trials and enemies will rise before him to stomp his ambition? R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Konquering Kanto

Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins—Skylark and the Famous Professor Finally Meet

"Are we almost there?" Grace asked impatiently as Eevee trailed behind her. Skylark was walking ahead with Ivysaur right by his side. With his hat on and staring down at the map, they trudged on through the woods, hoping to end up at Pallet Town before the end of the day.

"You know…I think we're going the wrong way." Skylark said quietly.

"WHAT?!" Grace shouted angrily. "We've been hiking for like two hours now!"

"Well, Pallet Town was in the east. And we've gone…" Skylark checked his PokéGear, which he picked up in the town before he left. "North-eastish…mainly north."

"Did we miss it?" Grace asked, slightly less angry but still tired.

"Nah, if we just go mainly east with a tad bit of south in there…" Skylark unintelligently spewed out. "You know, we should just take a rest." Grace and Eevee smiled happily as they found an area under the trees to sit. Skylark slumped down next to a tree across the trail from Grace, and pet Ivysaur.

As they sat around, Skylark slowly fell asleep. After winning the tournament, he hadn't had much time to rest. Finally being a free trainer, he no longer had to work so hard all the time to win these tournaments. He could train at his own pace. After about an hour and a half, however, a 9-year old boy ran in into the area, tripping over Skylark. Skylark jumped awake, pointing at something in the distance, ready to battle.

A Ratata ran into the area, growling furiously. The 9-year old boy continued running, but soon stopped and looked at Skylark. The Ratata ran forward and tackled Ivysaur, who was asleep next to Skylark. She woke up immediately, whipping Ratata in its side with a Vine Whip. Ratata got up, noticing the power of Ivysaur, and ran away.

The boy stared at Skylark and Ivysaur curiously. Skylark turned around and noticed him. "Hey, who are you?"

"…" He was silent.

"Well…alright then." Skylark said, shaking his head.

"Hey honey, do you think you can lead us to a town called Pallet Town?" Grace asked nicely. The boy nodded and started to walk away, and soon Skylark's group started to follow him. It was about 45 minutes later that they stumbled into town, tired and beaten down by the sun. The boy ran away into a house northwest of where they came out of the woods, leaving them there.

As Skylark looked around, he noticed a large building right in the middle of the town. Walking forward, they read a little sign next to the door. "Prof. Oak's Lab".

"Oh Skylark! We made it!" Grace said happily. "We can rest here!"

"But I want to keep going! According to Roger's map, there's a gym in the town to the north!" Skylark impatiently muttered. "I want to get my first gym badge now!"

"Shut up and enjoy the adventure, Skylark!" Grace replied. Skylark sadly nodded in defeat as he went on. They both went up to the door and knocked, only to get a response from a speaker.

"Hello?" A raspy voice said. "This is Professor Oak."

"Hello, Professor?" Skylark replied. "This is Skylark Declan, I think you knew my father a few years back."

"Skylark?! My, you sound much older! Please, come in!" Oak shouted as he buzzed the front door open. They all went in to a large room, filled with gigantic pieces of technology and monitors. There, a man in a white lab coat greeted them. "My, the last time I saw you, you were at least five or six…" Oak said. The last time Skylark saw Oak was after Skylark's father's funeral. Apparently, Skylark's dad and Oak were good friends.

"It has been a while!" Skylark replied awkwardly, not knowing what to say. "My mom said I should stop by, I'm on my way to travel the Kanto region as a regional trainer."

"Oh?!" Oak surprisingly uttered. "Is that so?" Oak quickly ran over to a desk, where he picked up a piece of red technology. Handing it to Skylark, it turned on and started beeping and making a light turn on and off spastically. "Then, I believe you'll need this."

Skylark stared at the technology, confused. "Sk-Skylark!" Grace interrupted. "That's the PokéDex! You use it to record Pokémon you've seen and caught! Almost every trainer needs one, as it also holds your trainer info."

"Trainer info?" Skylark asked. "Do I need to register?"

"Oh yes! You do!" Oak said as he sat down at his computer and began typing up info. After getting Skylark's name, age, picture and other bits of info, Oak printed out a driver's license looking card, and then slipped it into the PokéDex. On the screen, Skylark's trainer info popped up. "If you ever need to eject the card, it's this button." As he spoke, he also started to type up Grace's info. Giving Grace a card, he sat down in his chair.

"So are we good to go?" Skylark asked excitedly. He was so anxious to get started. Oak frowned. "Well, Skylark, you seem a bit impatient."

"I wanna become the champion as soon as possible!" Skylark replied. "It's my dream, ambition…"

"But don't you want to take time and enjoy the adventure?" Oak asked. "It's a three day hike up to Veridian City anyway, Skylark."

"Three days!?" Skylark shouted. "Then we have to leave immediately!"

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Oak asked. "I think I have a present for you anyway…and I think you'll wanna take it."

"Well, we'll stay…" Skylark reluctantly agreed. "But can we leave after dinner?"

**_Later that night…_**

Skylark was stuffing his face with a delicious steak that Prof. Oak's assistant had cooked, and Ivysaur was chowing down on some PokéBlocks made for grass-types. Eevee had already eaten and walked off, and Grace had just finished eating a small steak and vegetables. Skylark sure had an appetite after walking all day.

"So, Professor, when do you think we'll be able to see our present?" Grace asked humbly, trying not to impose.

"Oh! That's right! I forgot." Oak smiled. Skylark finished devouring his steak as Oak walked over to a room and opened the door. He walked in and called a name. "Abra, come here please!"

A shiny Abra floated over to the door, greeting Oak. "This is the Abra you and your mom had back a few years ago, Skylark." He said. "It's the baby of your father's Alakazam."

"Oh really?" Skylark asked as he got up and walked over to it. Abra noticed Skylark and seemed to recognize him, as he flew forward and tried to hug Skylark. Skylark hugged back, touched by Abra's kindness.

"Yes, Skylark." Oak replied. "And you'll be taking care of him from now on."

"What? What do you mean?" Skylark asked curiously.

"This is your present: You're going to take Abra with you on your journey!"

**Hey guys, it's good to be back and continuing this story! I've been so excited this entire summer for it, and I couldn't wait anymore. I was sorta tired with Pokemon until I started playing the 5th gen. It got me so into Pokemon again that I couldn't wait for this story anymore, so here we are, a whole month early! I'll be updating every Wednesday if I can, so stay tuned and follow the story! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Road to Viridian City—Skylark's Team Expands

"What?!" Skylark shouted, surprised. "You want me to take Abra?"

"Is that not what you want?" Oak asked, confused. "I mean, this Abra was your father's…and it's a rare one in its species, too. It's pigment is a different color, and that already makes the rare Abra that much rarer." Abra floated by Oak, looking up at Skylark curiously.

"I mean…I guess I can?" Skylark said. "But isn't it attached to you, like if it's your trainer?"

"Actually, no. That's the thing. I did train it some, and it's at level thirteen now. I had a move tutor teach it the move Headbutt, and trained it from level five or so." Oak replied, a bit of sadness it his voice. "But he doesn't really pay me much attention. It seems he wants something more than just an average trainer like me."

"So? What about Skylark is different?" Grace asked.

"Well, he won the Kanto Tournament. That already takes a lot of strength." Oak praised. "With that potential, maybe Skylark can break through to Abra and Abra will finally attach to a trainer. So what do you say Skylark?"

"I was planning on just training up Ivysaur…"

"Skylark!" Oak scolded, his voice rising. "A trainer who stays with one Pokémon is no better than a runner who only trains once a week. Like a runner, a trainer must experience with different things other than just sticking to one thing, such as a day or a Pokémon."

"Bu-"

"That and, Skylark, going against the Pokémon League with only one Pokémon is foolish. You'll never beat a single member of the Elite Four if you only have one Pokémon. Only a handful of people in existence have been able to do such daring things." Oak continued on scolding. "So will you take Abra and expand your team, or no?"

Skylark thought for a moment on the professor's words. He finally decided that he was right. If he only stayed with Ivysaur, he wouldn't make it too far before he'd find himself failing again and again. So, he decided that Abra would be his second Pokémon on his adventure.

"I'll take Abra, professor!" Skylark answered happily. Oak handed Skylark the Pokéball that Abra was kept in, but Skylark just put the ball up. He preferred Abra out of the ball, like Ivysaur.

"I'm glad you decided to take him!" Oak said happily. After a few minutes of talking, and a last couple of goodbyes and exchanging of numbers for the PokéGear, Skylark was off to Route 1, which led to Viridian City. Oak said it was a three-day hike, so he gave them a few supplies, as well as a few Pokéballs just in case Skylark found an interesting Pokémon to catch.

Skylark trained with Abra for a few minutes before they found a good camping spot. Testing out Abra's moves, he realized it only knew the same two: Teleport and Headbutt. It was difficult to battle with such a different Pokémon than what Skylark was used too, but he liked Abra.

Abra managed to knock out a few Ratata before they set up camp, and Skylark was glad to know that Abra was a good fighter. It made him more confident in his abilities as a trainer. But later that night, when everyone prepared to go to sleep, Abra refused to get inside the tent with him and Grace. Instead, Abra stayed outside by the fire and meditated the whole night.

"What's up with Abra?" Grace asked. "Is…is he depressed, possibly?"

"I don't think that's it." Skylark replied. "Oak said this Abra had a hard time attaching or trusting anyone. It probably just isn't used to me yet."

"But didn't you grow up with this Abra?"

"Only for a couple of years. Even then, my mom cared for him more than I did…I didn't really care for any Pokémon for a while, remember?" Skylark stared up at the roof of the tent. A cool feature to the tent was that they could unzip the roof, leaving a small net covering to keep out bugs, but allowing them to look at the sky and observe the stars.

Skylark quickly dozed off, with Ivysaur by his side. Abra continued meditating outside as Grace and Eevee dozed off to sleep too. Abra was actually asleep the whole time, but it was still awake subconsciously. It was keeping watch while sleeping, something that not many things on Earth could do. It was like a guardian angel, keeping watch through the night.

The next day, after eating a nice breakfast that Grace helped Skylark make, they packed up their tent and belongings and kept going. They hiked for a few hours, coming across a tall patch of grass every now and then. Inside the patches they occasionally found lost items, and every now and then they were also attacked.

Skylark took these opportunities to train Abra. Half the time Skylark wouldn't even see the enemy, but Abra would sense the enemy and attack on its own sometimes. Because of all this attacking, Abra actually gained a level near the end of the day.

But as the day drew close to an end, Skylark came across a peculiar Pokémon. "Oh my gosh!" Grace shouted as they ran close to the Pokémon. "It's a Pidgey!"

"A pidgeon?"

"No! A Pidgey!" Grace said again. "It's this cute bird Pokémon that is just a must have!"

"A must have?"

"Eventually, it'll evolve and you can use it to fly around the region!"

"Really?!"

"Yeah, and they're good fighters against fighting and grass type Pokémon!" As Grace explained Pidgey to Skylark, Skylark got the urge to capture it.

"Alright then, I'm going to make Pidgey mine!" Skylark shouted. "Pidgey!" The Pidgey turned around, looking curiously. "Join my team!" Skylark took a Pokéball out of his bag and began to throw the ball, but Grace slapped his hand.

"Skylark! You have to weaken it first, otherwise it'll just break free of its Pokéball!" Skylark was silent for a second, realizing that he knew that from the academy he went to in Hoenn. He felt embarrassed for forgetting, but quickly made up for it by sending in Abra to fight.

"Abra, use Headbutt on Pidgey!" Skylark shouted as Abra flew forward and smashed into Pidgey. Even though Abra was a high level, its attack was very low since it was a Psychic type. Pidgey was knocked a foot or so away, and quickly hopped up and shook off some dirt it landed in.

Pidgey flew forward and smashed into Abra, who was sent flying backward and into Skylark's legs. "Hey buddy, it's all good!" Skylark reassured Abra, who slowly got back up. "Let's go ahead and attack with another Headbutt!" Abra nodded reluctantly as it floated forward and smashed into the Pidgey, who then tried to follow it up with another Quick Attack.

Skylark, thinking fast, grabbed his Pokéball from earlier and chucked it at Pidgey. It absorbed Pidgey and knocked back and forth slowly, before finally snapping and alerting Skylark that he caught the Pidgey.

"Yes!" He shouted triumphantly. "I caught it!"

"Sweet job!" Grace shouted on the sidelines with Eevee and Ivysaur next to her. Skylark then took two potions that he had found earlier throughout the day and handed it to Abra and Pidgey, who he also let out of the ball. After healing them, they continued forward until night fell. It was a good day's walk, and Skylark was already exhausted. After eating and playing with his Pokémon some, he quickly went to sleep.

The next day went exactly like the last day. Abra and Pidgey both chased after enemies, growing stronger and stronger as the day went on. Skylark was so happy to see that he was training well enough. But it wasn't until the day after that that he realized he wasn't doing something right.

The next morning, they arrived to Viridian City. Taking his Pokémon to the center to get healed, he waited patiently for them to get better. But something going on over the PokéGear caught his attention. He was listening to the radio when something said, "Elite Four Member Lorelei visiting Viridian City to confront missing Gym Leader Giovanni."

"What?!" Skylark shouted. Grace looked at him curiously, but he soon explained. Grabbing his Pokémon, he ran out of the center and ran forward to the gym, where he ran into an old lady.

"Hey, watch where you're going! Who do you think you are?" She shouted crankily.

"Oh, sorry mam', my name is Skylark. I'm looking for this Elite Four member named Lorelei." Skylark explained. "I'm a trainer and I want to battle her."

"You're looking at her, youngster."

"_But…but she's so old…her Pokémon can't possibly be that well trained…"_ Skylark judged in his mind. Shrugging it off, he got straight to the point. "I want a battle, Lorelei."

"What for? That's stupid, you're stupid. Do you even have a gym badge yet?"

"No, but I beat the Kanto Tournament for Beginners. I have three strong Pokémon, I bet I can win!"

"Really now? You think you can beat me, an Elite Four member?"

"Yes!" He shouted as he sent out Abra. "Is it a yes or a no?"

Lorelei stared at him with an annoyed expression. She didn't want too, but she soon decided it was the only way. "Fine, impatient and stupid trainer Skylark. I, Lorelei of the Elite Four, accept your battle offer!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Utter Defeat

"Seel, go." Lorelei said, sending out the small white seal-like Pokémon.

"Alright then!" Skylark shouted. "Abra, go!" He then sent in Abra, who floated in front of him. "Alright Abra, teleport!" Lorelei stared at him, slightly confused. Abra teleported, disappearing from the battle grounds.

"Now use Headbutt!" Abra then appeared from no where, smashing into the back of Seel. Seel moved slightly, but only to turn around and aim at Abra.

"Aqua Jet." Quickly, Seel rammed forward into Abra's body, knocking him out instantly, leaving behind a bunch of water. Skylark called Abra back, feeling slightly nervous. "Give up yet?"

"Nope! Pidgey, I choose you!" Skylark shouted, sending out Pidgey. "Use Quick Attack!" Pidgey nodded and ran forward, smashing straight into Seel. But, Seel didn't even budge. Skylark stared, confused for a minute.

"Ice Shard." Seel nodded and opened its mouth, shooting out shards of icy energy. Pidgey fainted in one hit. Skylark was flabbergasted (guys, this is a real word. I always thought it was fake xD). Skylark called his Pidgey back, even more disheartened. "We can quit the games now, if you want."

"No…I still have one more!" Skylark replied. "Ivysaur, let's go battle her Seel!" Ivysaur then ran into battle, ready to win. "Ivysaur, use Vine Whip!" He commanded. "_Seel should be a water type. Grass is super effective against water."_

"Aurora Beam." Lorelei said. Seel opened its mouth and shot out a beam of icy power. It smashed straight into Ivysaur, causing her to stop moving. Skylark stood there, jaw dropped, as his strongest Pokémon fell over in defeat. "Is that all? I expected a battle."

"_So…this is the Elite Four's power."_ Skylark thought to himself. "_I can train well enough and if I can beat that seel, I should be able t-"_

"Of course, this isn't even the Pokémon I use for battling in the Elite Four." Lorelei said, breaking Skylark's thought. "The ones I use are much, much, much stronger than this Seel." Skylark felt incredibly disheartened.

"_I couldn't even beat a non-Elite Four Pokémon?!"_ He thought. Anger rolled up inside of him, like when he found out that Celia had used him. "I…"

"Let me guess, you want to become stronger and beat me? Well tough luck. The problem with this generation is that no one is willing to work. When they lose, like you just did, they just give up on their ambition." Lorelei said angrily. "I face challengers nearly every day, and I'm just the first member of the Elite Four. As soon as they lose to me, they never come back. They assume just because they lose once they have no chance."

"But I…"

"Listen kid, I _want_ someone to beat me. It gets boring being this strong. No one is stronger except the other members and the champion, but they've all been there for years. We're all tired of staying in the same place." Lorelei complained as she withdrew Seel and began to walk away. "I want someone to change up the game…but no one works hard enough!" She screamed as she wandered away. "Now where the heck is that Giovanni?"

Skylark still stood there, dumbfounded by the results of the battle. He was so confident that he would win, but he only lost horribly and was then scolded at for being part of a bad generation of trainers. "Hey, Skylark." Grace spoke up. "It's okay, you know?"

"…yeah…" Skylark uttered to himself. "But…I…" Skylark shook his head. "I gotta get stronger." He said as he withdrew Ivysaur from the field and went back to the Pokémon center. Afterward, they both left for the Viridian Forest, which is the road for Pewter City.

"_If I can't get strong enough…if I can't beat the Pewter City Gym…_

_ I quit."_

_**To be continued…**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Grace Chases a Wanted Team Member—An Old Friend Shows Up!

Grace followed Skylark through the deep forest. They had been wandering around for about two days now. Abra floated behind Skylark, and Ivysaur walked beside him. Pidgey was flying above the trees, soaring around freely. Beside Grace was her own Eevee, whom she had hardly trained since stepping into Kanto.

Skylark walked beside a Weedle, which he quickly had Abra headbutt. It was knocked out quickly, giving Abra some experience. Walking on, he came across a Caterpie. Caterpie saw the trio of Pokémon following Skylark and actually tried to run away.

Skylark began to run after it before Grace interrupted. "Wait Skylark! It's just scared! Don't attack it!"

"I have to train Grace!" Skylark shouted. "If you don't want me to attack it, attack it yourself or catch it!" Grace rolled her eyes at Skylark's stubbornness as she realized he was in one of those moods where nothing could change his mind. Grace then contemplated what her next moves should be.

The Caterpie had trailed off into a thicker part of the woods, and Skylark had already began to chase it. Grace finally decided that if she was going to become a trainer, she would need more Pokémon. So, she figured, a Caterpie wouldn't be a bad start. With Eevee following, she took off, holding a Pokéball in hand.

"Ah! There it is!" Skylark shouted. "Headbutt!" She could hear from a distance away as Abra smashed into something, but it didn't sound like he hit anything. "Crap! It's running away again!"

Grace looked around once more for it. She was having a hard time in such a massive forest. Even if she found a Caterpie, how would she know if it was the right one? "_Whatever."_ She thought. "_I'm sure we'll find it. If not, then we know it got away from Skylark's angry training."_

Grace continued to walk around when she finally stumbled upon it. Caterpie was trying to climb up a tree once Grace showed up. Quickly, she threw her Pokéball, which landed on the ground. It shook about twice, and Grace thought she had it in the bag.

After shaking twice, however, the ball broke in half as the frightened Caterpie popped back up. It looked around nervously, and then shot at Grace with string shot. Grace fell over, ripping off the web, and as she did so Caterpie ran away.

She got up and ran after it, hoping to catch up to it soon. That's when, however, she ran into him.

Roger.

He stood at the exit of the forest that led to Pewter City. Grace could even see the sun past the trees on the path. However, a man stood in front of her, whom she had not met before. Past him was Caterpie, who was hiding behind him. "Hey, you. Were you the one bugging Caterpie?"

"Well, not bugging, I'm trying to catch it!" Grace said.

"Sorry, but Caterpie's my friend." He said. "You'll have to defeat me in battle first if you want him and want to pass!"

A few minutes later, Skylark stumbled upon the scene. Grace sat beside Roger, her Eevee in her lap. "Oh, hey Skylark." She said sadly. "I lost to this dude, so I can't get the Caterpie. And Eevee has fainted too." Skylark angrily looked up at the man whom she lost too, and he felt the need to fight back. That's when he realized who it was.

"Roger?!" Skylark exclaimed.

"Wh—" He began to say. But then he realized who it was. "Skylark!?"

**_To be_****_ continued..._**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Skylark vs. Roger—Who Wins?

"Skylark!" Roger exclaimed. "You made it out here already?"

"Uh, yeah…it's been a few days though." Skylark replied.

"Well I've just been camping out here, waiting for people to come by to challenge. So far, no one's actually beaten me." Roger replied. "It's rather boring, no one is bothering to actually win. So, I send them back for more training before they go into Pewter City."

"Why do you do that?"

"So they know how strong they need to be to keep going." Roger said. "If they don't beat me, they usually aren't prepared for what's ahead. So, do you want to fight?"

"…" Skylark was silent for a second. Grace watched in anticipation as Roger waited for an answer. "So, I can't go on if I don't beat you?" Skylark replied.

"Yep." Roger said, taking a Pokéball. "Ready?" Skylark stood for a moment, not knowing what to do. Finally, he nodded. "Alright! Sweet, here it goes! Metapod, go!" Roger shouted, throwing out a Metapod. "Where's your Pokémon?"

"Pidgey!" Skylark shouted. "Gust!" Roger looked at him with a confused look, but then Pidgey bust through the trees and hopped into the battle, shooting a gust of wind straight at Metapod. Roger quickly shouted his command.

"Metapod, Harden!" Sure enough, right before the gust hit it, Metapod was coated with a thin layer of hard substance. The gust still hurt a lot, and even knocked Metapod over. But Metapod managed to survive the hit. However, Skylark commanded Pidgey to execute another gust, which knocked Metapod clean out. "Alright Skylark, I see you got a new Pokémon and some strategy on your side. But are you ready for my stronger ones?"

"Stronger?"

"Yeah! Did you think that was it?" Roger said, grabbing another Pokéball. "Beedrill, go!" Out of the ball came Beedrill, who quickly stroked its sword-like hands together, ready for battle. "Beedrill, Fury Attack!" In a blink of an eye, Beedrill flew forward to Pidgey and began to stab quickly.

"Dodge Pidgey!" Skylark shouted hopefully. Pidgey tried his best to dodge the quick strikes, but they were just to fast. Beedrill hit Pidgey four times, leaving him out of breath and laying on the ground. "Pidgey, come on man! You can do it! Get on up and let's win!" Pidgey moved his face and looked at Skylark for a moment. Seeing the look on his trainer's face, Pidgey was reminded of the battle. Pidgey slowly stood back up, staring at his enemy, who was much larger than he was.

"Pidgey, let's hit him with a Gust like last time!" Pidgey nodded and pushed itself to attack, running forward and throwing the strong wind at Beedrill. Beedrill was smacked straight in the chest, pushing it back a few feet, but it kept its ground.

"Beedrill, Bug Bite!" Beedrill nodded and slammed straight into Pidgey, biting down on one of his wings. Pidgey shouted in pain as it jumped backward, escaping the bite. Pidgey, however, fell down again. Nearly out of energy, it was ready to be done with the fighting.

"Hey! Pidgey!" Skylark shouted with concern. "Can you do one more hit for me?" As Skylark shouted, Pidgey stood up and stumbled around, trying to get a hold of itself. "Try a Quick Attack, Pidgey!" Pidgey stopped for a second and stared at Beedrill, but soon boosted off quickly, smashing straight into Beedrill's abdomen. Beedrill fell backwards for a second but soon caught itself. It was weakening, just like Pidgey. But with Pidgey out of energy and in front of Beedrill, he was done for.

"Beedrill, Poison Sting!" Beedrill then shot a bunch of little poison barbs at Pidgey, making Pidgey faint immediately. Skylark called Pidgey back, happy that it managed to take down nearly two Pokémon on its own.

"Abra, your up!" Skylark said, sending in Abra. Ivysaur stood behind Skylark, waiting to go into battle. With Ivysaur being Skylark's strongest, Skylark was trying to preserve her for last so the other two Pokémon could get training. "Abra, teleport!" Abra nodded, knowing the strategy Skylark had planned. Abra teleported away, disappearing from battle.

Roger looked around, curious. Beedrill, equally as confused, looked around too. That's when Beedrill decided to try and attack something, due to instincts. Stabbing the air with Fury Swipes, it found nothing there. That's when Abra teleported back into battle, ready to attack. "Finish it Abra! Headbutt Beedrill!"

"Quick Beedrill, Poison Sting!" Roger shouted. As Abra flew forward, Beedrill shot Abra with a poison barb, poisoning him. However, Abra slammed straight into Beedrill's head, landing a critical hit. Beedrill fell backward, defeated. Skylark smiled as Roger withdrew Beedrill.

"Alright, now this is my strongest Pokémon. Go, Butterfree!" A beautiful Butterfree then exploded from its Pokéball, ready for action.

"Abra, Headbutt!" Skylark shouted. Abra floated forward, ready to attack, but soon stopped in the middle. The poison stopped Abra from moving and hurt him, causing him to flinch.

"Sweet, now's our chance! Sleep Powder!" Butterfree nodded and shot out multiple green spores, covering Abra with sleep powder. Abra yawned, and soon fell asleep. Skylark grit his teeth as he barked a command, but with no response. Abra continued on sleeping.

"Butterfree, Gust!" Butterfree spun her wings, sending off the strong winds, smashing straight into Abra. Abra was pushed back a few feet, but continued sleeping. Roger ordered another Gust, and another and another. Before even landing one hit, Abra fainted at the hand of Butterfree.

Skylark sighed, calling back Abra. "_Looks like I have no other option…"_ He thought to himself. "Ivysaur, let's go! We got a battle to win!" Skylark shouted as Ivysaur happily jumped into the ring, ready to fight.

**_To be continued…_**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Moving On

"Ivysaur, Bullet Seed!" Skylark commanded as Ivysaur opened up her bulb.

"Butterfree, Sleep Powder!" Butterfree released tons of spores and sent them flying toward Ivysaur. Ivysaur then shot a burst of seeds, all of which hit the spores and neutralized them. Ivysaur proceeded with a second barrage of seeds, which smacked straight into Butterfree. Ivysaur even managed a third shot, even stronger than before, and hit Butterfree in the wing, making it fall down.

"Vine Whip while it's down!" Skylark shouted. Ivysaur nodded and smacked Butterfree across the face with a whip. Butterfree fell down, but hopped up and was ready for battle.

"Bug Bite!" Butterfree lunged forward and bit Ivysaur on the arm. Ivysaur shook furiously and sent Butterfree flying away.

"Try Bullet Seed again!" Ivysaur heard the command and began to shoot again, sending out another three waves of seeds. But, as they flew toward Butterfree, they were sent back.

"Gust it back at her!" Roger shouted. The gust was so strong that it sent the seeds back at Ivysaur, who took only slight damage from the grass-type move. However, the gust that carried the seeds was still going, and smacked straight into Ivysaur. Ivysaur shook her head, trying to shrug off the pain, but it was apparent. Skylark frowned at the sight of her in pain.

"Alright, Leech Seed!" Ivysaur nodded as she shot at Butterfree, who didn't have time to recover from her last attack before being hit. Butterfree was leeched, and a small bit of HP was drained and given to Ivysaur, who desperately needed it.

"Sleep Powder!" Butterfree nodded and released a ton of spores, and began to wave them at Ivysaur. Ivysaur tried to dodge, but as she hopped out of the way Butterfree shot another gust of powder straight into her face. Ivysaur fell to the ground, deep in sleep.

"Ivysaur!" Skylark shouted, a trail of desperation in his voice. "Wake Up! Vine Whip!" Ivysaur gave no response.

"Butterfree, Gust!" Butterfree shot forward strong gusts of wind which hit the hibernating Ivysaur. The Leech Seed took away from Butterfree, though, and gave Ivysaur a bit of energy.

"Ivysaur!" Skylark's voice rang through Ivysaur's mind. "Come on, we can't lose here!" In Ivysaur's mind, she slowly began to wake up and understand her trainer. If they lose here, it's all over. Ivysaur tried to move, though, and experienced something she never felt before. She couldn't move.

"Ivysaur!" Her trainer's desperate voice rang through her mind. Another gust would be the end of her, and they both knew that. But as Ivysaur tried to move, her muscles would give out. "Please! Ivysaur!" The last ring pierced Ivysaur's heart. With a newfound motivation, she hopped up, eyes barely open and muscles slowly giving out.

"Let's finish the battle! Take Down!" Ivysaur sleepily nodded as she stumbled forward and escalated into a full out run.

Roger's eyes grew wide as he realized that Ivysaur was awake and was about to deliver a final blow. "Butterfree! Gust!" Butterfree nodded as she threw her wings back and prepared to throw wind. But, that's when her wing began to hurt. The bullet seed from earlier wounded her wing greatly, and now she couldn't finish the move.

Ivysaur smashed straight into Butterfree, who was thrown back into some bushes close by. Ivysaur fell to her feet and grabbed at her head, which hurt from the recoil, but she soon recovered and stood victoriously.

Roger's jaw was dropped. He had been undefeated since he had met Skylark, only to be defeated again by Skylark. "Well well well, someone's improved greatly as a trainer." Roger said. "I've been training those Pokémon vigorously, so seeing them defeated is a real eye opener to your improvement."

Skylark stood there, feeling prideful. "You think I'm a good trainer?"

"Of course man, that fight was amazing!" Roger said.

"Hey guys…" Grace said. "Can you help me catch Caterpie now?"

**_Later that day…_**

"So you think you're prepared to take on Pewter City?" Roger asked.

"Of course!" Skylark replied. Winning the battle boosted Skylark's outlook. He couldn't wait to fight now.

"Alright then, best of luck to you!" Roger said. "I hope we can meet again one day when we're both stronger!"

"Me too!" Skylark said.

"Thanks again for helping me with Caterpie!" Grace exclaimed with Caterpie by her side.

"Oh no problem! Glad I could see it off to a good trainer!" Roger replied. "I'll cya later!" And with that, Skylark and Grace set off for Pewter City. Hoping to reach the city by the next morning, Skylark prepared to face his first gym leader.

**_To be continued…_**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Face to Face

"You ready to take on the gym Skylark?" Grace asked.

"I don't know..." Skylark said nervously. "What if I lose?"

"Shut up!" Grace shouted at him. "You're the best trainer I know! You can do it!" Grace then proceeded to spout corny lines of motivation, making Skylark laugh. Finally though, he raised his hand and his face grew determined.

"I...I will win." Skylark whispered to himself. "I will win!" He shouted as he ran inside, Ivysaur and Grace following him. Inside the gym, he found a small line leading straight ahead and into a large rock, where a man sat. The man looked up and smiled, happy to see a new trainer. As Skylark walked up, he smirked as Ivysaur walked beside him. "_I've got this in the bag._"

"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" A voice beckoned. Skylark looked to his left and noticed a scout like kid walk up to him. "Before you face Brock, you gotta battle me and win. Not everyone just gets to battle the leader."

"Really?" Skylark asked, waving his hand for Ivysaur to come up for battle. "Well, I'll just have to win so I can win against the gym leader."

"Pretty cocky for a beginner." The scout sneered. "Alright, go Diglett!" The scout sent out Diglett, who stared at Ivysaur and seemed slightly worried.

"Alright Ivysaur, Vine Whip!" Ivysaur leaped forward and smacked Diglett right across the face with her whip, dealing out some super damage. Diglett couldn't even handle the hit, and he fainted on the spot. The scout stared in amazement.

"No one's ever taken out my Diglett that fast..." He muttered. "No matter. Sandshrew, let's end this battle!" Sandshrew emerged from his ball, ready to attack. But as soon as he left his ball, he was sent right back in.

"Ivysaur, Vine Whip!" Again, Ivysaur whipped Sandshrew right against the side of his body, bring him down to his knees. However, he was still in for the battle.

"Sandshrew, use Scratch!" Sandshrew nodded and raised its claw, ready to strike, but Ivysaur had already dodged. Ivysaur's speed was faster than Sandshrew's.

"Bullet Seed!" Skylark commanded. Ivysaur proceeded to shoot two bursts of seeds straight into Sandshrew's body, knocking Sandshrew out. The scout stared with jaw dropped at the fight.

"He took me out within a couple of rounds..." He said to himself. "I haven't seen anyone this good since..."

"Hey man, good game. Now I have to go take care of a gym leader!" Skylark shouted as he ran on, only to again be stopped by a second person. Their fight soon commenced, and again Skylark swept the floor with the guy. Moving on, he stood in front of a shirtless man whose muscles were flexing. The man was none other than Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader.

"I see you made it past my two friends." He said. "I guess you're the real deal."

"Yeah. I'm determined to beat this gym." Skylark responded. Waving Ivysaur to his side, he asked, "So, are you ready to battle?"

"As long as you are."

"Alright then...Brock, I challenge you to a battle!"

_**To be**__ continued..._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Skylark Vs. Brock

"I'll have you know, my gym has the strongest rock type around. Are you ready for this?" Brock asked tauntingly.

"I've been ready since I walked in." Skylark said. "Ivysaur, let's get ready for battle!"

"Geodude, let's win!" Brock exclaimed, throwing a ball into battle. A Geodude popped out, flexing his muscles.

"Ivysaur, Vine Whip!" Skylark commanded, attempting to take Geodude out fast.

"Rock Polish!" Geodude's body was covered with a glistening light, as if he's been polished, and swiftly dodged the whip. "Now, Geodude, Magnitude!" Ivysaur looked up at Geodude, who raised his arms and flexed. Doing so caused the ground around Ivysaur to shake heavily, shaking her up a lot. Being a ground type move, it wasn't too effective, but it still hurt nonetheless.

"Quick, Leech Seed!" Ivysaur, noticing that Geodude was still close to her, shot her seeds straight onto Geodude's rocky body.

"Let's try Rock Throw!" Geodude nodded and floated over to a rock on the ground. Picking it up, he chucked it straight at Ivysaur.

"Bullet Seed!" Ivysaur quickly shot a burst of seeds straight into the rock, smashing it into bits. A second burst was followed, which hit Geodude right in his face.

"Geodude, quick! Rock Polish!" Geodude, quickly recovering from the burst, once again glistened as if polished. When he floated, however, he moved much faster. He stopped for a minute as some of his energy was drained and given to Ivysaur.

"Quick, Ivysaur! Vine Whip!" Ivysaur lunged forward to strike, but Geodude quickly floated away. So fast in fact that in the blink of an eye he was behind Ivysaur.

"Geodude, Rock Throw!" Geodude picked up another large rock off the ground, but instead of throwing it, he continually flew around the battle field with it. Ivysaur kept turning and moving, trying to pinpoint where he was. But he was just too fast.

"Now!" Geodude quickly appeared in front of Ivysaur, and before Skylark could give a command Geodude threw and smashed his rock straight on Ivysaur's head, landing a critical hit. Geodude was again drained by Leech Seed, but it barely helped Ivysaur, who was grabbing furiously at her head.

"Ivysaur!" Skylark called, hoping to get her attention. After smacking at her head, she finally stood back up and tried to Take Down Geodude. "Ivysaur! What are you doing!?" Ivysaur obviously missed Geodude, who followed up her attack with a Rock Polish.

This time, Ivysaur tried to shoot Geodude down. With three bursts, she shot, aiming spastically. "_She can't be confused—Rock Throw doesn't cause that…does she have brain damage from the hit? Is she going rogue?"_ Skylark thought to himself.

"Geodude, finish Ivysaur with a Rock Throw!" Geodude picked up another large rock, and flew around the court faster than before. With such speed, there was no way Ivysaur could accurately land a hit. Skylark observed as Ivysaur stood still, her eyes strained.

"_She looks mad…"_ Skylark pondered. "_Is she so mad that she's stopped listening?"_ Ivysaur kept her position, even as Geodude kept flying around. She barely flinched, even when he flew in front of her.

"Now, Geodude!" This time, Geodude stopped directly in front of her and raised his rock. Before Skylark could shout and before Geodude could throw his rock, Ivysaur immediately smashed her whip in his face. The force was so powerful that it sent Geodude back to Skylark, the rock still in his hand. His eyes were rolled back in his face, and he no longer floated. Brock stared in amazement; an enraged Ivysaur just took out his fastest Pokémon, which was next to impossible to see.

Ivysaur's eyes became less strained after that hit. She knew she knocked him out, and her anger subsided. "Ivysaur! Great job, but you gotta still listen to me!" Skylark said. Ivysaur nodded and turned around to face the next enemy, which shocked Skylark. She was so willing to fight, even after getting smashed directly on her face.

"Geodude, you did well!" Brock shouted, bringing him back. "I'll hand it to you Skylark, Geodude is usually so fast he manages to overpower his enemies regardless of type. But this next one—this is where I'll win! Go, Onix!"

"Ivysaur, let's get ready to fight!" Skylark shouted. Brock sent out the giant snake-like rock monster, which reminded Skylark of the underground tournament that he broke up back in Hoenn.

"Onix, Curse!" Onix stared up at the ceiling, and lightly glowed blue. Then, he glowed a light red color. Onix's speed dropped, but his attack and defense just went up an extra stage.

"Ivysaur, quickly take him out! Vine Whip!" Ivysaur ran forward, whips flying out of her back, and she jumped up and smacked Onix across the face. Onix groaned and moved his upper body, but soon went back to his old position. Ivysaur may be strong, but onix obviously held the higher level in this fight.

"Onix, Curse!" Again, Onix's speed fell and his attack and defense increase another stage once again. Skylark was growing nervous at this strategy. Even though Onix's speed was falling, his attack would become powerful enough to do serious damage to Ivysaur. Since Pidgey and Abra weren't high enough levels, Ivysaur seemed to be the only one who could handle this battle.

"Ivysaur, Bullet Seed!" Ivysaur bent over and shot about four bursts, all flying into Onix's body. Onix barely budged, however, and maintained his ground.

"Onix, use Rock Throw!" Onix bent over and picked up a rock with his mouth. He shot it out at Ivysaur, who didn't have time to dodge. She took the hit, which made her lie down flat on her stomach. With Onix being stronger than her and his attack being boosted, the not very effective attack hurt.

"Ivysaur, we're close to winning!" Skylark shouted, hoping he was right. "Let's do another Vine Whip!" Ivysaur nodded and ran forward, vines out and ready to strike. She hit, but Onix soon retaliated with a powerful attack of his own.

"Onix, use Smack Down!" Onix took his tail and smacked Ivysaur straight in the back, throwing her down and straight into the ground.

"Ivysaur!" Skylark shouted. "_There's no way she can just recover from that blow!" _Ivysaur remained on the ground, breathing heavily, trying to stand up. "Ivysaur, we're so close to winning!" Skylark shouted, trying to motivate her. "Let's win so we can all keep traveling together!" Ivysaur slightly nodded, knowing that if she didn't win here, it'd be all over. She liked Skylark and Grace too much to just fail and break up the group.

"We can do this Ivysaur!" Skylark shouted again. "Let's hit him with a final blow!" Ivysaur stood up, grunting and panting heavily. "Bullet Seed!" Ivysaur bent down, opening her bulb and shooting out multiple bursts of seed. The first burst hit Onix, giving him damage but not much. The second hurt more, but still barely left a mark. The third was even more powerful, and this time Onix's face showed a sign of pain.

The fourth burst was even stronger than the last. Onix's face showed a huge amount of pain as he moved backward from the force of the blow. The last and final burst—the fifth one—was the most powerful burst Ivysaur ever produced. It smacked straight into Onix's face, leaving a critical hit as well.

Onix fell over, his eyes rolled back and his body unmoving. Each burst grew only stronger and stronger, and the last one was too much, even for a beast like him. Onix fainted.

Ivysaur—and Skylark—defeated the Pewter City Gym.

**_Later…_**

"Well, I can honestly say, that was one of the best fights I've had in a while." Brock said. "I am proud to award you with this badge, Skylark. You deserved it." Reaching out, Skylark took the badge from Brock's hand. Observing it, he smiled proudly.

"_Maybe I am a strong trainer, like Roger said…_" Skylark thought to himself. He was also reminded of his failure earlier against Lorelei, and how she complained that this generation was too lazy to work. "_Now that I've gotten my first badge, this will show her that I am getting stronger and I will beat her!"_

"Hey Skylark," Grace spoke up, "I think we better head out before it gets too dark so we can set up camp."

"She's right." Brock said. "Here, take some food though. I cooked it myself, and you two are pretty deserving of a nice home-cooked meal." Skylark and Grace nodded happily, accepting some rice and chicken, and left the gym. Now that Skylark had a badge, he felt unstoppable. But now he has a bigger challenge up ahead: Mt. Moon.

**_To be continued…_**


End file.
